Customizable bag with integrated storage capability

ABSTRACT

A customizable bag for use in transporting articles of clothing is presented. In some embodiments, the bag may include a packing enclosure similar to that of a traditional duffel bag, in addition to a garment compartment area for transporting formalwear and the like that traditionally requires transportation in a full-length garment bag to avoid undesirable wrinkles, etc. The garment compartment area may be integrated into the body of the bag so as to provide the presently disclosed dual-purpose bag and allow for, among other things, efficient travel without additional baggage.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The presently disclosed subject matter relates generally to garmenttransportation and more particularly to a combination garment bagdesigned to transport both formal garments in a substantiallywrinkle-free manner and also transport other articles of clothing in amore traditional duffle bag system.

BACKGROUND

Transporting formal attire (e.g., business suits, dresses) is often verydifficult. The interest in arriving at the destination with clean attireis further complicated by the desire to prevent wrinkles in the fabricduring transportation. Some conventional garment bags are often large,bulky, and are needed in addition to an additional standard suitcase orduffel bag. Therefore, there is a need for a bag that simultaneouslyprovides for the transport of clean, wrinkle-free clothes as found in atraditional garment bag, in the size, carrying capacity and convenienceof a suitcase or duffel bag.

SUMMARY

In various embodiments, a bag that may form a garment compartment areaand a separate packing enclosure is provided. In some embodiments, thebag may include one or more of a body, a first side panel, a second sidepanel, a fastener, an interior lining, an exterior lining, as well asvarious pockets and straps. In some embodiments, the use of an interiorand exterior lining may provide for the creation of a garmentcompartment area. The garment compartment area may allow for garments tobe placed therein, without the need for folding, thereby providing for asubstantially wrinkle-free packing configuration in a clean environmentfor transport.

In some embodiments, the body of the bag may house the garmentcompartment area and may be designed to transition from a firstconfiguration in a substantially flat position to a second positionconfigured substantially about a longitudinal axis, thereby forming asubstantially cylindrical shape. With the addition of the first andsecond side panels, the bag may completely enclose a packing enclosuretherein, thereby obviating the need for an additional duffel bag foradditional clothing and personal items.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus described the presently disclosed subject matter in generalterms, reference will now be made to the accompanying Drawings, whichare not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the presently disclosed bag in a“closed” configuration according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a partially “open” position of the presentlydisclosed bag shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates another partially “open” position of the presentlydisclosed bag shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows another “open” position of the presently disclosed bag ofFIGS. 1-3, further illustrating the side panels according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows the presently disclosed bag of FIGS. 1-4, furtherillustrating an opening to access a garment compartment area, accordingto one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows the presently disclosed bag of FIGS. 1-5, furtherillustrating an exemplary garment placed in the garment compartmentarea, according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 shows the presently disclosed bag of FIGS. 1-5 in the partially“open” configuration illustrated in FIG. 2, further illustratingexemplary clothing items in a packing enclosure of the bag, according toone embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The presently disclosed subject matter now will be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying Drawings, in which some,but not all embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter areshown. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. The presentlydisclosed subject matter may be embodied in many different forms andshould not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein;rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure willsatisfy applicable legal requirements. Indeed, many modifications andother embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which thepresently disclosed subject matter pertains having the benefit of theteachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associatedDrawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the presently disclosedsubject matter is not to be limited to the specific embodimentsdisclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended tobe included within the scope of the appended claims.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a bag 100 is shown according to one embodimentof the present disclosure. In some embodiments, bag 100 may include abody 110, a first side panel 120 and a second side panel 130. Bag 100may also include one or more exterior side panel pockets (e.g., exteriorside panel pocket 121), one or more handles 140, a shoulder strap 150,and a fastener 160 that may be used to secure the body 110 to, at least,one or both of the first side panel 120 and the second side panel 130.

In some embodiments, body 110 may be configured to include an interiorlining 111 (shown in FIG. 2) and an exterior lining 112. In someembodiments, the body 110 may be made from a water-resistant materialsuch as, by way of example and not limitation, nylon. Alternatively, thebody 110 may be made from any other suitable material, including but notlimited to, vinyl, vinyl-coated materials, laminated materials (e.g.,laminated cotton), polyester, polyurethane laminate, leather, cloth,and/or oil cloth. In some embodiments, the body 110 may be formed as asingular article. Alternatively, in various other embodiments, the body110 may be formed from a plurality of individual pieces that combine toform the body 110.

In some embodiments, the presently disclosed bag 100 may be optionallyconverted from a first “closed” configuration as shown in FIG. 1 to asecond “open” configuration as shown in FIG. 4, in addition to otherpartially “open” configurations as shown, for example, in FIGS. 2 & 3.In some embodiments, the body 110 may be designed such that when the bag100 is in the first “closed” position, it may fold substantially arounda longitudinal axis 105 of the bag 100 such that first and second ends113, 115 of the body 110 come together to create a substantiallycylindrical shape. Note, however, that the shape of the body 110 neednot necessarily be cylindrical, and may form any desired shape ofenclosure. For example, in some embodiments, the body 110 may be formedsuch that it may create a substantially triangular shape. Alternatively,by way of example and not limitation, the body 110 may be configured tocreate a substantially square shape, substantially pentagonal shape,etc. The first side panel 120, the second side panel 130, and first andsecond ends 113, 115 of the body 110 may also be optionally coupledtogether by way of, for example, the fastener 160, thereby creating apacking enclosure 117 within the bag 100. The illustrated embodiment ofthe bag 100 in FIG. 1 portrays the bag 100 in the secured, or “closed,”position, thereby creating the packing enclosure 117 therein.

In some embodiments, the fastener 160 may be a single continuous zipper.Alternatively, the fastener 160 may be, by way of example and notlimitation, any one or more of magnets, ties, buttons, snaps, Velcro, orany other appropriate fastening means. In a preferred embodiment, thefastener 160 may create a substantially waterproof or water-resistantseal.

The one or more exterior side panel pockets 121 may be included on theexterior of one or both of the first side panel 120 and/or the secondside panel 130. In some embodiments, the exterior side panel pockets 121may be unsecured. In various other embodiments, however, the exteriorside pockets 121 may be secured or closed with an appropriate fasteningmechanism, such as, for example, elastic, a zipper, one or more magnets,one or more buttons, one or more ties, and/or any other appropriatefastening mechanism.

The shoulder strap 150 may be optionally attached to body 110 to allowfor easier transportation of the bag 100. In some embodiments, theshoulder strap 150 may be integral to the body 110. In some embodiments,the shoulder strap 150 may be removable (e.g., by way of one or morehooks, buckles, snaps, or the like), thereby increasing flexibility andcustomizability. In some embodiments, the shoulder strap 150 may be of afixed length. In the illustrated embodiment, the shoulder strap 150 maybe adjustable, thereby allowing for users of various dimensions toutilize the feature.

FIG. 2 illustrates the garment bag 100 of FIG. 1 in an exemplarypartially “open” position, wherein the body 110 is not fully secured bythe fastener 160 to the first side panel 120, the second side panel 130,and the first and second ends 113, 115. The exemplary embodiment in FIG.2 further illustrates other features of bag 100, including one or moreinterior side panel pockets 131, one or more interior body pockets 162,and a garment compartment area access feature 161.

The interior side panel pockets 131 may be included on the interior ofboth the first side panel 120 and the second side panel 130. In analternative embodiment, the interior side panel pockets 131 may beincluded on only one side panel. In another embodiment, the interiorside panel pockets 131 may be omitted entirely. In the illustratedembodiment, the interior side panel pockets 131 may be secured usingelastic. In some embodiments, the interior side panel pockets may beclosed with a zipper. Alternatively, the interior side panel pockets 131may be closed with magnets. In yet another embodiment, the interior sidepanel pockets 131 may be closed with any other appropriate feature(e.g., one or more buttons, snaps, or the like).

In some embodiments, the interior body pockets 162 may be integral tothe interior lining 111. In an alternative embodiment, the interior bodypockets 162 may be attached to the interior lining as needed. In someembodiments, the interior body pockets 162 may be secured by a zippermechanism. Alternatively, the interior body pockets 162 may be closedwith magnets. In yet another embodiment, the interior body pockets 162may be closed with any other appropriate feature (e.g., elastic, one ormore buttons, snaps, or the like). In yet another embodiment, theinterior pockets body 162 may be unsecured to provide for unrestrictedaccess to the pocket space.

In some embodiments, the garment compartment area access feature 161 mayprovide access to the garment compartment area 190 (illustrated in FIG.5). In some embodiments, the garment compartment area access feature 161may include a securing mechanism to ensure that any items in the garmentcompartment area 190 remain clean and/or dry. In the illustratedembodiment, the garment compartment area access feature 161 may be azipper mechanism. In alternative embodiments, the garment compartmentarea access feature 161 may include a magnetic closing feature. In yetanother embodiment the garment compartment area access feature 161 maybe secured with any other appropriate feature (e.g., elastic, one ormore buttons, snaps, or the like).

FIG. 3 represents the bag 100 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, further illustratingthe bag 100 in an alternative exemplary “open” position. As illustrated,the body 110 may be opened flat to facilitate, for example, theplacement of garments into the garment compartment area 190 (illustratedin FIG. 5).

FIG. 4 represents the garment bag 100 of FIG. 3, further illustratingthe garment bag 100 in yet another alternative exemplary “open”configuration wherein the fastener 160 is substantially unsecured. Insome embodiments, one or both of the first side panel 120 and the secondside panel 130 are integral to the body 110. In alternative embodiments,one or both of the first side panel 120 and the second side panel 130are optionally removable. By way of example and not limitation, thefirst side panel 120 and the second side panel 130 may be attached tothe body 110 by way of a substantially permanent stitching, or one ormore of a zipper, magnets, Velcro, buttons, etc. Allowing the first sidepanel 120 and the second side panel 130 to be removed may provideadditional flexibility to the user, wherein the user may remove thefirst side panel 120 and second side panel 130 when the need for a moretraditional garment bag may be required.

In some embodiments, the first side panel 120 may be made from awater-resistant material such as, by way of example and not limitation,nylon. Alternatively, the first side panel 120 may be made from anyother suitable material, including but not limited to, vinyl,vinyl-coated materials, laminated materials (e.g., laminated cotton),polyester, polyurethane laminate, leather, cloth, and/or oil cloth.

In some embodiments, the second side panel 130 may be made from awater-resistant material such as, by way of example and not limitation,nylon. Alternatively, the second side panel 130 may be made from anyother suitable material, including but not limited to, vinyl,vinyl-coated materials, laminated materials (e.g., laminated cotton),polyester, polyurethane laminate, leather, cloth, and/or oil cloth.

FIG. 5 represents the bag 100 of FIGS. 1-4, further illustrating agarment hanger receiver 170, a garment strap 180, and the garmentstorage compartment 190.

The garment hanger receiver 170 may provide an attachment point for,among other things, a garment hanger. In some embodiments, the garmenthanger receiver 170 may be a hook. In another embodiment, the garmenthanger receiver 170 may be a carabiner-type or similar clip mechanism.In the illustrated embodiment, the garment hanger receiver 170 may aloop of material substantially integrated with body 110. In someembodiments, the garment hanger receiver 170 may be made from a rigidmaterial, such as a metal. This may provide the advantage of additionalstrength when supporting particularly heavy garments. In someembodiments, the garment hanger receiver 170 may be made from a lessrigid material, such as a fabric. This may provide the advantage offlexibility, and reduced weight for the user. In the illustratedembodiment, the garment hanger receiver 170 may be integral to the body110. However, in some embodiments the garment hanger receiver 170 may beremovable for additional customizability, and for allowing the user tooptionally interchange separate garment hanger receivers 170 as needed.

The garment strap 180 may, in some embodiments, extend the width of thebody 110, and may provide for additional support and/or security of thegarments within the garment storage compartment 190. The garment strap180 may ensure that the garments within the garment storage compartment190 do not undesirably move excessively during travel, or when the bag100 is in the “closed” position depicted in, for example, FIG. 1. Insome embodiments, the garment strap 180 may be adjustable to provide fora more supportive fit to a variety of garments. In some embodiments, thegarment strap 180 may be elastic, thereby stretching to fit the garmentswithin the garment storage compartment 190. Due to the highly variantnature of garments, especially for example the differences between men'sbusiness suits and women's formalwear (e.g., dresses), the width andlocation of the garment strap 180 may impact the level of supportprovided to the garments. In some embodiments, the garment strap may bebetween 0.5″ and 12″ wide. Alternatively, the strap may be between 0.5″and 8″ wide. Alternatively, the strap may be between 0.5′ and 5″ wide.Alternatively, the strap may be between 1″ and 3″ wide. Alternatively,the strap may be about 1″ wide. In some embodiments, the garment bag 100may include more than one garment strap 180 at various locations on orwithin the body 110.

In some embodiments, the garment strap 180 may be integral to the body110 and therefore incapable of being repositioned. In alternativeembodiments, the garment strap may be repositioned in the body 110,thereby allowing for increased flexibility and ensuring proper supportto a wider range of garments.

In some embodiments, the garment strap 180 may be made from cotton. Insome embodiments, the garment strap 180 may be made from nylon. In someembodiments, the garment strap 180 may be made from any otherappropriate material (e.g., polyester). In some embodiments, a purposeof the garment strap 180 may be to ensure that the garments within thegarment storage compartment 190 remain in place. In some embodiments,this may be accomplished by tightening the garment strap 180 until thegarments are secure. In alternative embodiments, the garment strap 180may include a strip of material to increase the friction between thegarments and the garment strap 180, thereby further ensuring thegarments remain in place. In some embodiments, the strip of material maybe silicon. In alternative embodiments, the strip of material may bemade from any other appropriate material such as, by way of example andnot limitation, rubber.

In some embodiments, the garment compartment area 190 may be bounded bythe interior lining 111 and the exterior lining 112 (illustrated in FIG.1). In various embodiments, the garment compartment area 190 may containand protect garments regardless of how the bag 100 is configured (e.g.,in a first “closed” configuration, a second “open” configuration, or anycombination therebetween).

FIG. 6 illustrates the bag 100, further illustrating exemplary garmentspositioned within the garment compartment area 190 and optionallysecured to the garment hanger receiver 170 according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates the bag 100 in an exemplary partially “closed”position (similar to, for example, the partially closed configurationdepicted in FIG. 2). Further illustrated in FIG. 7 are exemplarygarments positioned within the packing enclosure 117 according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure.

Following long-standing patent law convention, the terms “a,” “an,” and“the” refer to “one or more” when used in this application, includingthe claims. Thus, for example, reference to “a subject” includes aplurality of subjects, unless the context clearly is to the contrary(e.g., a plurality of subjects), and so forth.

Throughout this specification and the claims, the terms “comprise,”“comprises,” and “comprising” are used in a non-exclusive sense, exceptwhere the context requires otherwise. Likewise, the term “include” andits grammatical variants are intended to be non-limiting, such thatrecitation of items in a list is not to the exclusion of other likeitems that can be substituted or added to the listed items.

For the purposes of this specification and appended claims, unlessotherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, sizes, dimensions,proportions, shapes, formulations, parameters, percentages, quantities,characteristics, and other numerical values used in the specificationand claims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances bythe term “about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appearwith the value, amount or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to thecontrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the followingspecification and attached claims are not and need not be exact, but maybe approximate and/or larger or smaller as desired, reflectingtolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and thelike, and other factors known to those of skill in the art depending onthe desired properties sought to be obtained by the presently disclosedsubject matter.

Further, the term “about” when used in connection with one or morenumbers or numerical ranges, should be understood to refer to all suchnumbers, including all numbers in a range and modifies that range byextending the boundaries above and below the numerical values set forth.The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers,e.g., whole integers, including fractions thereof, subsumed within thatrange (for example, the recitation of 1 to 5 includes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5,as well as fractions thereof, e.g., 1.5, 2.25, 3.75, 4.1, and the like)and any range within that range.

The above-mentioned exemplary embodiments are provided to serve thepurpose of clarifying the aspects of the application, and it will beapparent to one skilled in the art that they do not serve to limit thescope of the following claims. By way of example, the garmentcompartment area may be subdivided into various compartments to holdmultiple articles. By its nature, this invention is highly adjustable,customizable and adaptable. The above-mentioned exemplary embodimentsare just some of the many configurations that the mentioned componentscan take on. All modifications and improvements have been deleted hereinfor the sake of conciseness and readability but are properly within thescope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A bag, comprising: a body, a first side panel,and a second side panel, wherein the body comprises an exterior liningand an interior lining forming a garment compartment area substantiallytherebetween; wherein, in a first configuration of the bag, the body canbe laid substantially flat; and wherein, in a second configuration ofthe bag, the body can be positioned substantially about a longitudinalaxis passing through the first and second side panels and secured at itsopposite ends such that the body forms a substantially cylindrical shapehaving first and second side openings that can be operatively coupled tothe respective first and second side panels, thereby forming a packingenclosure therein.
 2. The bag of claim 1, wherein the interior liningcomprises an opening for accessing the garment compartment area.
 3. Thebag of claim 2, wherein the opening extends substantially along acenterline of a length of the body substantially orthogonal to thelongitudinal axis of the bag.
 4. The bag of claim 2, wherein the openingcomprises a fastener for securely closing the opening.
 5. The bag ofclaim 4, wherein the fastener for securely closing the opening is azipper mechanism.
 6. The bag of claim 1, wherein the garment compartmentarea comprises a garment hanger receiver.
 7. The bag of claim 1, whereinthe garment compartment area comprises a strap extending along a widthof the body.
 8. The bag of claim 1, wherein one or both of the first andsecond side panels comprise one or more pockets.
 9. The bag of claim 1further comprising one or more handles for carrying the bag.
 10. The bagof claim 1 further comprising a shoulder strap for carrying the bag. 11.The bag of claim 10, wherein the shoulder strap is adjustable in length.12. The bag of claim 1, wherein the interior lining further comprisesone or more pockets.
 13. The bag of claim 12, wherein the one or morepockets of the interior lining may be operatively closed using afastener.
 14. The bag of claim 1, wherein the body can receive one ormore garments in the garment compartment area when the bag is in thefirst configuration.
 15. The bag of claim 1, wherein the bag can beplaced in the second configuration with one or more garments positionedin the garment compartment area.
 16. A bag, comprising: a first sidepanel, a second side panel, and a substantially rectangular body havinga length and a width; wherein the body further comprises an exteriorportion and an interior portion, and further wherein the interiorportion is coupled to the exterior portion substantially along threesides of a perimeter of the body, and a flap extends from the perimeteralong the fourth side of the body, thereby forming a substantiallyenclosed garment compartment area between the exterior and interiorportions; wherein, in a first configuration of the bag, the body can belaid substantially flat on a surface for optionally receiving one ormore garments in the garment compartment area; and wherein, in a secondconfiguration of the bag, the body can be positioned substantially abouta longitudinal axis passing through the first and second side panels andsecured at its opposite ends such that the body forms a substantiallycylindrical shape having first and second side openings that can beoperatively coupled to the respective first and second side panels,thereby forming a packing enclosure therein.
 17. The bag of claim 16,wherein the first and second side panels, in the first configuration ofthe bag, are attached along a portion of a perimeter of the side panelson opposite sides of the body and each adjacent to one end of the body.18. The bag of claim 17, wherein in the second configuration of the bag,the first and second side panels operatively couple to respective sidesof the body along the remainder of the perimeters of the side panels byway of one continuous zipper that also secures the opposite ends of thebody to one another, thereby securely enclosing the packing enclosure.19. The bag of claim 16, wherein the interior portion further comprisesan opening extending along the length of the body.
 20. The bag of claim19, wherein the opening comprises a fastener for securely closing theopening, and further wherein the fastener is a zipper mechanism.